Methods of use of soluble cd24 for therapy of rheumatoid arthritis

Abstract

Provided herein is a CD24 protein. The CD24 protein may include mature human or mouse CD24, as well as a N- or C-terminally fused portion of a mammalian immunoglobulin.

1 .- 10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . A method of repressing danger-associated molecular pattern (DAMP)-mediated tissue damage in a subject undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, comprising administering to a subject in need thereof a CD24 protein comprising a mature human CD24 polypeptide, wherein the mature human CD24 polypeptide comprises the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1, and wherein the CD24 protein does not comprise an alanine or valine immediately C-terminal to SEQ ID NO: 1. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the subject has graft versus host disease. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the CD24 protein further comprises a protein tag, wherein the protein tag is fused to the C-terminus of the mature human CD24 or at the N-terminus of the CD24 protein. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the protein tag comprises a Fc portion of a mammalian Ig protein. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the Fc portion comprises (a) a hinge region and CH2 and CH3 domains of the mammalian Ig protein, wherein the Ig protein is human and wherein the Ig is selected from the group consisting of IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4, and IgA; or (b) a hinge region and CH3 and CH4 domains of IgM. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the CD24 protein is soluble. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the CD24 protein is glycosylated. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the CD24 protein is produced using a eukaryotic protein expression system. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the expression system comprises a vector contained in a Chinese Hamster Ovary cell line or a replication-defective retroviral vector. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the replication-defective retroviral vector is stably integrated into the genome of a eukaryotic cell. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the CD24 protein consists of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 fused at its C-terminus to a hinge region and CH2 and CH3 domains of human IgG1 Fc. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 21 , wherein the hinge region and CH2 and CH3 domains of human IgG1 Fc consist of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 6.